Morning Practice
by Magawa
Summary: Ranma watches Akane practice her morning kata. Fluff ensues.


Author's Notes: This is probably very OOC, but I thought, "Hey if they were ever left ALONE once in awhile, maybe things would turn out like this...." Please be kind this is one of my very first attempts and it only took me an hour and a half to complete this. Gomen nasai if it sucks!!! Oh and they're not mine I'm just borrowing them from the great Takahashi-sama

Morning Practice

By magawa

Akane looked up from the difficult kata she was trying to perform with annoyance written all over her pretty face. The shoji doors stood wide open to coax in the early morning sun. A young man stood in silhouette in the first dawn light, throwing shafts of pure gold over his handsome features and strong build.

Ranma.

Akane kept quiet. She didn't want to disturb the comforting lilt his presence brought or the peace of the morning. Ranma didn't seem to be especially inclined to break the peace either. Ranma silently seated himself in a corner where he could watch and remain relatively out of the way. Akane took his silence as signal to continue her kata. And so she did.

Performing her kata with a grace Akane didn't usually possess, Akane leapt and twisted, kicked, punched and blocked with both precision and acrobatic familiarity.

_She's amazing_, Ranma marveled again. _How is it she's so graceful, so perfect here and such a klutz in everything else? I wonder if she'd be that graceful, that perfect in ... other things...._

This wasn't the first time he had watched her practice her kata. It was just the first time he'd allowed her to see him.

_I thought she'd yell or attack me or something_, he mused. _I wish things could always be this way between us..._

Finishing her kata, Akane turned to face the plaques adorning the dojo's far wall and bowed low at the waist, a clear indicator that her morning practice was complete. Rising, she turned to walk towards Ranma, the grace of her kata still hovering about her.

Ranma froze. _What now? I'll either get malleted into next week or thrown into the pond... or maybe she'll make me eat breakfast that she cooked! I am so dead..._

Caught in his own mental rant, Ranma missed the affectionate gaze that passed fleetingly over her features. She watched his face, gauging his emotions – startlement, slight agitation, fear, and finally resignation. Akane half-sighed disappointedly. _Why can't he just accept me for who I am? The violent tomboy? I'm over his whole girl-form anyway! Now if only he'd stop getting chased by all those other fiancées ... _

"I don't feel like fighting this morning, okay Ranma?" Akane started, cutting off the fight before it even began.

"You uncute tomboy!" Ranma stated before fully understanding her words. "Uh.. Wait...you don't want to chuck me in the pond or anything?" he asked suspiciously.

"Iie. Why would I? What good would that do? I'd just have to get you some hot water anyway..." she mumbled off. "Come on. Kasumi's not even up yet. Let's go out and get some breakfast."

Ranma's mouth was hanging wide open so Akane squatted down to his level and pressed his chin lightly upwards effectively shutting his gaping mouth. "You know," she said, "it's a good thing I'm not one of your other fiancées or a bug. Ukyo or Shampoo would have kissed your mouth closed and a fly could have gotten half-way down to your stomach before you'd have even though to shut the trap."

Ranma quickly recovered his speech facilities enough to stutter out, "Yes, well then, I'm glad it was you..." Akane smiled gently and stood to leave. Jumping up quickly to follow her out, Ranma let himself be led until they got to a small restaurant. The rapidly rising sun showered its beams upon them in proud pleasure of what they had accomplished.

This pattern followed for weeks – sometimes with a light chatter on their way to breakfast, sometimes just companionable silence. Sometimes they sparred together and one morning Akane even taught Ranma the difficult kata she had been performing in the mornings when Ranma had come to watch. It was her mother's kata – delicate and deadly with a graceful beauty Akane's mother must have possessed too. Ranma mastered the kata's precise movements easily enough but his temperament refused to be ruled by the kata's innate spiritual dance and so, he preferred to watch Akane. Akane reveled in the fact that she had been able to teach him something and that there was at least one thing she was better than him at. The dojo seemed to become more at ease with its two young masters and almost seemed to constrict upon them, making the space seem smaller, cozier and more intimate. Most people didn't even know about this morning routine, since most of the household didn't wake up until much later. But their early morning pattern began to affect them for more than just the mornings.

This newfound intimacy began to permeate every aspect of their lives. Ranma's barbs became less frequent and even when they did prick at her they hurt less because Akane knew just how quiet and thoughtful he could be. The almost affectionate way he called her "uncute tomboy" was enough to make her forget the words original meaning.

Akane became less violent and more graceful in every word and movement because she knew that she could and she knew that Ranma found that fascinating. All in all, things simmered down enough that their parents, Soun and Genma, became worried that they had lost interest in each other.

_Man if they only knew!_ Ranma thought gazing heatedly at Akane. They were just finishing up their warm-up exercises and were preparing to spar. It was good practice for both of them. Akane pushed Ranma to the limits of his control when fighting, refusing to let him treat her like glass; she fought harder, more passionately. The sweat glazed her skin and her eyes glittered at him showing her fierce and unbroken spirit. He couldn't deny he loved her even if he wanted to when she looked like that.

Akane smirked triumphantly seeing him step back from her attacks. _Good. Maybe this time I won't end up on the floor with him on top of me... even if I enjoy that a little too much_...Akane threw back that thought and fought harder, drunk on thoughts of winning.

Eyes opening wide, Ranma stepped back yet again and tripped slightly falling backwards and tucking his chin in as he had been taught. Akane was quick to take advantage, straddling his hips and preventing him from moving his legs. Then she leaned forward to pin his hands out and away from his body. Akane, thrilled at having finally bested him, quickly declared herself the winner.

"It's a good thing I'm not Shampoo 'cause I'd never be able to marry you now!" Akane said laughingly, her whole body shaking with mirth at her victory.

"I guess it's a good thing you're not Shampoo then," he said quickly leaning up to catch her laughing lips against his own. Akane stilled almost immediately at the feel of his warm, gentle lips moving against her own.

Ranma quickly took advantage in the Saotome School Style – rolling her over and pinning her in much the same way as she had done to him. Akane was so surprised she could only squeak until Ranma held her firmly pinioned, his own body pressing hers to the floor.

"You know what?" Ranma asked panting slightly from the exertions of their exercise, "I'm glad you're not Shampoo or Ukyo or anybody else. I think I'd miss you if you weren't you."

Akane, breathless, watched in wide-eyed wonderment as Ranma leaned slowly closer until their noses touched and their breath mingled.

"Marry me Akane?" he asked. "Not because our fathers want us to," he rushed on, "Say 'yes' if you want me and if you don't I'll never bother you about it again..."he trailed off desperately.

Akane, flat on her back and pinioned, worried her bottom lip between her teeth before shifting her gaze up and into his eyes. They were so vulnerable looking. Once again she tried to read his feelings – uncertainty, hope, passion, fear of rejection and at the forefront of it all; love.

"Hai." She answered with no hint of uncertainty. "I always wanted it to be you," she breathed before he stopped up her mouth with the rest of that kiss. And the sun shone more fiercely than even Amaterasu thought was possible.

The End

Questions/Comments? E-mail me.

Flames/Un-nice things to say? Don't e-mail me. Oh who'm I kididng? I just want to hear your

Appendix/Dictionary:

Gomen (nasai) – I'm (very) sorry

-sama – this indicates a level of utmost respect – similar to 'Lord'

Kata – dance-like routine of a martial artist

Shoji – the wooden sliding doors in traditional Japanese houses and dojos

Iie – No

Hai – Yes

Amaterasu – sun goddess of Japanese Shinto religion/myth. I did this to make it seem as if they are a match made in heaven – as if even the fickle gods approve of their romance....


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